The Best Presents
by Kawaii Dragoness
Summary: Christmastime comes to the Kenshin-gumi, in an alternate SanoxKen universe...what would the two do for the perfect present for each other? SHOUNEN-AI and one-way relationships abound in this possibly saddening piece...


_The Best Presents_  
by Kawaii Dragoness

Pairing: SanoxKenshin, Katsu-Sano (one way, that is)

Archived: and FFN. Want to archive? E-mail me: kawaiimae@loveable.com 

Notes: This is my entry to the _Fucked In The Head_ contest at Firedancer's page.This fic has been brought to you by too much tea, too many yaoi fanfics and fanart, too much time at Leadership Development conferences with nothing but a journal and a purple pen, lots and lots of RK general info sites for swordsmanship knowledge, great music (such as Coldplay, w00t), and reading the summary for episode 24 over and over again...

Thanks to: Kitty-the-muse (check out her art: ), Vee-sempai (beta reader: ), Talya Firedancer (contest host: ), the RK site _Crucifix_ (technique guide/general site: )

Disclaimer: If I owned Kenshin, this would be an episode arc, wouldn't it? *mumbles* rather than the 'Reflection' OAV...grr grr...or hell with it, rather than Shimbara...grr grr... *mumble mumble* 

Fic requirements, as met:  
1) One Fucked-In-The-Head Chara: (Battousai) Kenshin  
2) One Seme-type: Sano  
3) One Dash of Angst and/or Action: You'll see...  
4) Shounen-ai: SanoxKenshin, one-way Katsu-Sano

_'Rurouni's thoughts'_ // **'Battousai's thoughts'** // "speech" emphasis

****

"I miss you..." Tsukioka Katsuhiro was working on yet another picture, looking at it carefully, unconsciously letting his thoughts reach his lips. It was close to 15 years now, and he still missed his Taichou; his dear Taichou, his old friend and role model. At the very least, he thought, he still had Sano...his only friend. But by now, Sano had changed...

He stoked the fire again, trying not to think of Sano's change. It was always cold this time of year, so cold, so unforgiving.... When Sayo--Magdaria--died, he recalled, she had left her holiday of "Christmas" with them. Everyone in the area celebrated it now, if only in the gift-giving and feast-throwing sense. And it was most definitely coming soon.

But Katsu had no gift. It was bad enough that his anti-government magazine wasn't racking up enough money (and thus he had to go back to painting), but even so.... There hadn't been all that much demand for his portraits this year; he was able to feed himself and have materials, but didn't have much left over. He knew that soon enough the people would flock to him for commissions, wanting to give presents of his art to their friends. But that was not yet, and by then, he may not have the time to buy a present as well.

Then came a knock on the door that startled the artist. "Come in," he said quietly.

A short man entered, opening the door slowly. There was a gray hooded garment over his gi, the shadows making the trailing edges blend easily into the gi's subtly beautiful magenta color, as well as white pleated hakama; he seemed to be hiding something. However, the vibrant violet eyes under the hood were unmistakable.

"Kenshin?" Katsu recognized it as Sano's friend--and lover as of late. He recalled when Kenshin and Sano announced to everyone that they were lovers; Kaoru and Megumi had been so angry that Kenshin had packed up and left to live in Sano's little shack. Katsu was slightly jealous of the redhead; at first, he had felt that Kenshin had stolen his Sano away...then, after talking to Sano about it, he realized how happy Sano was with his lover, and let the issue rest. Even so, you couldn't say that Kenshin and Katsu were best of friends; usually, when they interacted, Sano was there to calm things down when Katsu's emotions raged. But right now, he was not, and the artist struggled to remain calm. Even so, the redhead was Sano's favorite conversation subject, and his casual usage of Kenshin's first name had stuck in Katsu's brain, no matter how much he hated him underneath. "Why are you here, Kenshin? Where's Sano? And what's with the hood?"

Kenshin did not answer his questions. "That's a good picture of Sagara-taichou there de gozaru na."

"It's hardly finished...I actually had just barely started," Katsu said modestly. He wondered why Kenshin did not answer his questions, but let it drop.

"If you finish it to my specifications, I'll pay you de gozaru."

"All right...on one other condition."

"What is it?" Both sides inhaled sharply, the remaining air sucked in so it felt like a vaccuum between them. Nothing...no feeling...just tension and awkwardness hanging in the air curtain-like through the room.

"Take care of Sano for me." Now that threw the rurouni off.

"I already do. If I didn't, I couldn't claim that I love him de gozaru yo."

"Particularly now...y'see, he wants to prove he loves you..."

"He doesn't have to de gozaru. He should know that by now."

"I know he should, but you know how Sano is, how stubborn he is...that silly bakayarou." He added on that ending on purpose; he didn't want Kenshin to hear the longing in his voice, the wistfulness, the desire to be in the redhead's place.

"All right then. I promise to take care of Sano de gozaru yo. Here's the money..." He threw over a small pouch, which struck right against Katsu's heart before falling heavily into his lap. And you couldn't have said Kenshin had missed; not with the intent concentration in those shimmering blue-violet eyes.

"You've got to be kidding, Kenshin! This is a lot--how'd you get the money?"

Kenshin slowly took off his hood. "Tell no one..." he warned.

"Kenshin! What did you--oh shit... Sano'll have a fit... He adores your hair, you know that--"

"He loves me for me," Kenshin interjected with a cool simplicity to his voice, eyes still glinting. "I'm sure Sano can handle it."

"If you're sure..." Katsu counted the money with a gleam in his eyes. He'd be able to afford some good food and materials now, and maybe even a gift for Sano... "Now, Kenshin, how would you like this picture done?"

****

Meanwhile...

"A roosterhead amongst chickens, huh?" Kai owned and managed a prosperous chicken farm/slaughterhouse, and needed to hire a few strong workers. He was quite suspicious of the current applicant, who called himself "Sano" even though he looked just like the old fighter-for-hire Zanza, right down to the akuichimonji on his back.

"Che, shut up you," Sano said. "Look, I need the cash for my koishii, and I'm strong enough to take up the job. Please--"

The word 'koishii' didn't sound right on Sano's lips, but the other man ignored it. "All right, all right, Sano. Just don't go around beating people up. If you lay as much as a finger on any of your coworkers, you're not getting any of the money. Promise?" Kai just didn't want this guy to make trouble. He looked like he could easily beat up his workers, and that wouldn't be good for business at all.

"Promise." Sano thought that it couldn't be so difficult to keep that promise. Kenshin was peaceful, no matter how much people hated him; and people surely hated Kenshin more, for his whole reputation as the Battousai. And thus he was given the job, and told to report to a man named 'Tsuka' in the morning, who, strangely enough, had ice blue eyes.

Sano had no idea what he was getting himself into.

****

That night...

Kenshin and Sano sat together in bed, Sano looking very unhappy, trying to run his fingers through his 'koishii's' hair and feeling that they fell through much too quickly. "Kenshin, koishii, how could you?"

"We needed the money de gozaru. We could hardly afford food anymore...You can't say you didn't enjoy my cooking tonight." Kenshin sighed, snuggling into Sano's arms from his spot between the taller one's legs. It was one of the few ways they could keep warm anymore. This year had been hard on everyone...and it was so cold this winter, so much colder than it usually was, so much harsher. But then again, Kenshin thought, Sano was warmer to him than anyone usually was, so much warmer, so much nicer....

"I always enjoy your cooking. But--Kenshin, you know I adore your hair--" Again Sano tried to run his fingers through the long locks, sighing as they fell through much too quickly. It was like he had no time to enjoy the feeling of it anymore.

"Do you love me any less, Sano? Could you, even?"

"I could never love you less...it'd be a crime against humanity, against what I want to believe in...but still, Kenshin. I adored running my fingers through your hair...how long and silky it was..." He twirled a few red silky strands around his pinky, thoughtful.

Kenshin smiled, pulling out two long strands that remained from somewhere unknown. "Give me your headband, Sano."

Sano stared but complied, untying it slowly, reluctantly letting go of Kenshin in the process. Without the headband, his hair sagged, a few strands even reaching his broad shoulders. Kenshin worked himself out from between Sano's open legs to sit next to him, taking a needle from a nearby nightstand and threading his hair. Silently, he wove each strand into each end of the headband, then gave it back to Sano, who quickly put it back on. Sano didn't feel comfortable without it.

"There. Nobody'll notice, but with your headband you'll store two memories now...your taichou and my hair...both of which you were very fond of. And the colors match too." He smiled broadly, knowing that few would notice the difference between the blood red and strawberry pink. It would blend enough for most people to never notice...and that's the way Kenshin wanted it.

"Thanks, Kenshin. I love ya." Sano pulled his arm around his 'koishii's' shoulders and squeezed happily.

"I love you more de gozaru." Kenshin smiled, Sano reluctantly letting go. He turned away and laid down, as if to sleep. His mouth opened to say goodnight, but Sano quickly interjected.

"Wait--Kenshin?" The redhead slowly got himself back up, facing his lover with a faint, gentle smile.

"Hai?"

"Before...with Tomoe...you lived on a farm. And you were so happy. Why were you happy?" Sano's eyes were dark and inquisitive. Kenshin almost got lost in the dark pools as he thought things over in the resulting silence, knowing he could be lost there forever, in those beautiful depths...but he finally snapped out of it, remembering faintly that he had indeed asked a question, and answered.

"I liked being on the farm, how everything's made by the work of your hands...the peace and quiet, really. I enjoy simple chores like that de gozaru. It's part of why I worked on Kaoru-dono's dojo for so long, even if I didn't love her how she wanted me to."

"I see...." Sano did not want to think about Kaoru, about the past when Kenshin had told her about the then-new relationship. What's more, he wanted to keep talking, trying desperately to think of something to say until it came to him. "Do you ever dream, in your wildest fantasies, of living on a farm with me? Just us? No 'jou-chan or her students...no kitsune...complete peace? Would that make you happy, koishii?" Sano was barely able to resist running his hands through Kenshin's hair as he always did, since he knew it would just make him more disappointed.

"I do dream of it sometimes, Sano...I think it'd make me very happy de gozaru. You already make me more happy than I thought a person would be allowed to be, though. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering." Sano's eyes shone from Kenshin's compliment. He made his 'koishii' happy...more happy than what most people were allowed to be...

"I see. Love you de gozaru."

"Love you more, koishii. 'Yasumi."

"Oyasumi nasai."

****

Sano strode into work the next day. A man was waiting for him; he assumed that was 'Tsuka.' Seeing as he was his boss, he acted accordingly...

"Ey, Taichou, I'm here for work..."

Tsuka turned around. Tsuka was already getting bad vibes from this guy; he looked like the old gangster Zanza everyone was afraid of, and those muscles looked like they could give quite the beating. Yet there was something nostalgic about that word, "taichou"...it looked like Sano was trying to hide it, but not succeeding. "You're Sano, right? Welcome aboard. No need to call me 'taichou'; it's just Tsuka. I'm just a supervisor, after all. Not like we're in the military or anything."

"That'd be me," Sano said, somewhat oblivious. "So, Tsuka, what do you need me to do?"

"Feed the chickens in the coop there. There's a bag of feed over that way, and there's a bucket for it right there." Kai needed the work done, and Tsuka knew Kai'd complain unless he started small.

"All right, I gotcha..." Sano went to fill the bucket, thoughtful about last night. Could he get a farm for Kenshin for Christmas? He would like to believe so, if only because it would make Kenshin so very happy, which was exactly what Sano wanted to do. He decided to try; no harm in trying, right?

He fed the chickens, somehow able to think above their constant pecking and clucking. There was a sort of innate comfort in doing repetetive motives, over and over again. Since he didn't have to think about what his body was doing, his mind was left free. He could see why Kenshin would enjoy this; Kenshin liked to think, and such chores gave him the perfect excuse to let his mind wander. 

Sano finished quickly enough, and as he walked back, he bumped into a grizly-looking man with food-stained clothes. He was all-around dirty, and smelled like day-old fish, which matched to fishbone in his mouth (on the other hand, Sano had chosen to have a toothpick today, and well, he had Kenshin to clean his clothes.) To top it all off, the man had messy pure black hair, which Sano thought was a rarity--most everyone had dark brown, gray, green, or blue. 

"Hey you, watch your ass," the man snapped.

"Watch your language!" Sano snapped back, surprised. The man had shocked him, yes, with his rude manner. Yet it was nearly as surprising that Sano himself hadn't been just as insulting; maybe Kenshin's politeness, with all the "sessha" and "dono" and "de gozaru," had gotten to him. "Who the hell do you think you are, anyway?"

"Don't talk like that. You're the new guy here, and you've got a lot of hard work to do before even THINKING of getting up the ladder. We've got a right to be above you, we've been here longer. You've got to prove to us that you're something special before we respect ya. Now listen to your elders, and watch your ass." And with that, the man was gone.

****

Time went by, day after day. Sano left early every morning to work at the farm, coming home tired and beaten up late at night. Sometimes, Sano's coworkers would "play their games" with Sano; gambling, and cheating, to make him lose money one time; beating him up at others. At first, Kenshin thought nothing of it, believing that the guys at the gambling hall Sano loved to go to were just acting up again.

But it kept getting worse and worse, and Kenshin could somehow just tell that something was wrong, and that for some reason Sano just plain wasn't fighting back, as he usually did. Kenshin began asking every night, while he tended to the younger one's wounds. Sano, stubborn and indignant as ever, refused to tell, as usual. 

The only thing that comforted Kenshin every night was that Sano came home at the same time every night. It was a late hour, but it was still regular....

Except this one night, this night before Magdaria's "Christmas" holiday. Sano had yet to come home. Kenshin watched the fire that he had prepared, the one that was always waiting for his Sano every night. Something was wrong. Something was more than wrong. He could just feel it. Sano was supposed to be home... He would never miss a night like this.

The cold wind blowing and whistling through his short red hair, Kenshin laced his sakabatou on, and went off into the cold crisp night.

****

Meanwhile...

"Guys, what are you doing to me?"

Sano was afraid. Sano was very afraid. He couldn't touch them, any of them. His coworkers, all of them...they looked ready to pounce. And Sano was helpless behind a simple promise. Why was he so afraid to break a simple promise? Kai wasn't here... 

But a glare from Tsuka stopped him from pulling his own fist back and showing them a piece of his mind--and his Futae no Kiwami. There was something about them that was frightening. All Sano had done was asked for a pay raise earlier to day, having finally realized that on his current pay he'd never be able to get Kenshin's present...all of his earnings so far had been "accidentally" gambled away, down to the last time...

But what the hell was going on? Sagara Sanosuke is never forced into anything. You do not pull Sano around like a little child, throw him around like a rag doll, you just don't! But why was this happening? Why were they suddenly so frightening? What could bring Sano down? What was wrong with this picture? Sano's mind was raging, even though his body just couldn't move...

And then they were upon him.

"KENSHIN!"

****

Katsu finished the final details of the picture, coloring them in carefully. The coloring had been particularly difficult to do...all those shades of red, so subtly different, so hard to get just perfectly, so hard to get it as close as possible to the real thing. He had worked on this one at least as hard as he had for the old picture of Sagara he did five years ago, if not more so. And it was finally done, just in time, according to Kenshin's specifications. Kenshin...He sighed. This picture was one of his best, it'd be hard to let it go...but he knew it was this good only because he could afford the finest materials for it, take a good amount of time for it, thanks to Kenshin. 

Kenshin had so many things that Katsu thought were precious. He wondered if Kenshin realized it. Maybe the redhead did, late at night, snuggled in Sano's arms. Maybe he "counted his blessings", as Magdaria had once put it, realized how much the gods have given him since he tried to atone his sins. Kenshin had friends--good friends, friends who cared. Kenshin had a reason to live...a reason that had once been Katsu's reason to live.... Kenshin could hold Sano in his arms and watch the sakura with him in the springtime, and be so very warm...

Katsu stoked his fire again, reminding himself that it was winter and it was so very cold, as he heard a quick, impatient knock on the door that knocked him out of his thought processes. He slid the just-dried picture between a Japanese translation of The Art of War and a copy of Tales of the Genji--his two favorite books in the world. They were both so realistic, and so poetic--a combination no artist could resist."Come in, the door's open..." He opened the door carefully, and there was Kenshin, holding his sakabatou in his hands and a serious look on his face. His eyes were sharp--they were definitely not gentle--but they were thankfully still a dark blue-purple color.

"Tsukioka..." Kenshin said, his eyes harsh and vigilant. He hadn't even bothered with polite formalities to enter, which was very odd of him. "Where's Sanosuke?"

"Sano--" Katsu stared. "Something wrong, Himura?" He reversed back to how he used to talk to the ex-Battousai, going on a gut feeling that something was amiss and anything said wrongly would be more than awkward, it'd be deadly. After all, it's not every day that the redhead referred to his lover by his full name....let alone calling Katsu by his surname....

"There is something evil in the air," Kenshin responded, fully serious. Katsu noted the lack of a 'de gozaru,' but wisely decided not to comment. "Sano is in grave danger. It is my duty--my promise to you--to protect Sano for you. It is also my duty to him and myself. I need to protect Sano; but before I can do that, I must know where he is..."

"I cannot tell you, I promised Sano not to tell you until--" Katsu quickly shut up--he nearly gave it away. He remembered promising Sano once never to tell where he was until after Christmas, because Sano wanted to keep it a surprise for Kenshin...

"...You love Sanosuke, don't you?" It was really a rhetorical question, but Katsu took it the other way. Kenshin knew--oh, how Kenshin knew--but still...

"I do...you know I do..." Katsu's eyes, looking towards the floor in embarrasment and despeartion, nearly burned with tears when he admitted it. Admitting it meant that he also had to admit that Sano did not love him back, or at least not in the way Katsu would want him to. He tried so hard to fight the tears, and a single one escaped and dropped onto the tatami, which Kenshin seemed to ignore.

"If you love him, you'd tell me. Your Sanosuke--our Sanosuke--is in danger...you have to tell me, Tsukioka, or else I can't keep my promise to you...I won't be able to protect Sanosuke...and he'll get hurt. I know you won't be able to take it if Sanosuke is hurt, especially if it'd be your fault...please, Tsukioka, tell me...so I can save your friend...Our friend..." Somewhere deep within the murky depths of desperation, there was a surprising amount of harsheness. At times it seemed as if Kenshin was gritting out his words, as if speaking to a young child who wouldn't understand--but not even, since he was usually so kind to young children...and when Katsu looked up, he could've sworn he saw yellow eyes in place of violet, but it passed just as quickly.

Katsu had heard of Kenshin's other half before, everyone had. He knew what could happen if he didn't listen...nothing could stop the Battousai once he was unleashed, except Kenshin himself, and plausibly Sano. "Sano's at a chicken farm, it's about a quarter of a mile from here. He's been working there for a while now, trying to save up some money..." He quickly gave Kenshin directions as well.

Kenshin seemed to be enlightened, somehow, as if he had just seen the way puzzle pieces fit together. Katsu knew how perceptive Sano's 'koishii' was, and suspected Kenshin had seen something wrong with him as of late. It did explain a lot of things..."Thank you...I must be on my way, before things get any worse. I need to keep my promise..." He bowed, ready to leave.

"Wait--before you go--" Katsu picked up the two books, the picture inside. "Here's your picture. I worked very hard on it. Take care of it; it's as precious to me as I hope it is to you. And keep the books."

"Thank you...now...I must leave...farewell..." Kenshin methodically laced his sakabatou and saya at his left hip, obviously ready to fight for his beloved.

"Take care of Sano for me," Katsu said, a natural reflex. "He's as precious to me as he is to you...and please tell him not to blame me for anything."

"I promised you I will, and I'm not breaking that promise. Good night."

****

Kenshin ran through the streets of Tokyo, eyes intent and burning. _'I'm almost there, Sano...I'm coming..._ he thought. _You have to hold on for me.... Just wait a little longer de gozaru yo...I'm going to defend you, as I always have...' _Rational thought was dying quickly though. It was getting harder and harder to fight the impulses, harder and harder to keep control over the killer within. For the sake of the ones he was about to fight the rurouni had to stay in control...but for the sake of Sanosuke, the Battousai could be let out...he'd do anything for him, and yet--and yet--

_'Stop it Battousai, I don't want to kill anyone tonight de gozaru na...'_ a gentle voice said in his mind. 

**'But it's Sanosuke,'** the dark, cold regions of his heart replied. **'Wouldn't you do anything for him? You have to save him. Let me free...it's the only way, you idiotic rurouni...'**

_'You shouldn't even be alive anymore, Battousai, you know that de gozaru yo...Tomoe killed you, you bled away from this wound, this wound that is now a scar...I was able to defeat Shishio without you...this will not be nearly as difficult....'_

**'You could never have defeated Shishio single-handed, you know that. You needed the others there to weaken him. You were weak from Shinomori and Seta. You are alone this time--Saitou and Shinomori aren't here to back you up anymore...and well, obviously I was able to stay behind after Tomoe was gone, ne? I did help you with Hiruma around, after all...'**

_'But won't Sano help me de gozaru ka?'_

**'If Sano was able to fight these people, he wouldn't be hurt constantly, would he? He would have eliminated them long ago. Something is stopping him from fighting. He will not be able to help you...besides, he is weak, weaker than you, even. And he must be even more so from the constant torture. He will not help you; and even if he wanted to, it'd only hurt himself.'**

Kenshin hated the fact that Battousai was so calculating. He always figured these things out. Battousai was his fighting side, his more ruthless side, yes; but he was also a very intelligent side, a very rational side, a very calculating side. Battousai was able to predict people's motions, even better than Kenshin himself. Still, there was one thing he couldn't help but wonder...

_'Why are you still alive de gozaru ka? Why do you have to torment me? Why can't you leave me alone, let me live? I just want to be happy...'_

**'Because the soul of a warrior never dies. I still invade your dreams, I live within that scar, you know that more than anyone.... Take what is rightfully yours, with my help. I can help you take your Sanosuke back to you. Just let me take over...'**

Kenshin sighed, his eyes closed. It was no use arguing. The Battousai was right...he had to listen, or Battousai would never leave. His darker side had been cooped up for too long. It needed to come out every once in a while, or all the anger and hatred it eminated would just overflow. And he needed to get Sano. He stood in the middle of the road, in front of the closed complex gates, which were made with tempered steel. He felt his hair rise in a sickly familiar way, his heart racing. Without the long hair of his past, his changed state was no longer obvious, which for some reason he did not seem to mind. Keeping his eyes closed, he unlaced the sakabatou at his waist and flipped the whole thing--saya and all--then relaced it, with it now as a "normal" katana, one that could kill.

Finally, he opened his eyes, now a haunting golden yellow.

Battousai noted the gates, then took a step back. "RYU TSUI SEN!" he cried, launching into the air then slamming back down with a resounding crash. The gates broke open, and inside, the people could feel it.

"What the fuck was that?" Tsuka asked, looking completely shocked. He turned.

Battousai stood there, eyes the shade of a golden flame. Everyone was suddenly very afraid, including Sano.

"Kenshin!" Sano called out, half-thankful that his 'koishii' was there, half-afraid of what Kenshin had become. 

"This is for your own good, Sano..." Battousai muttered. "Your so-called 'koishii' wanted it." Battousai noted the look of shock on Sano's face, wondering why he wouldn't attack, but then ignored it.

The battle raged on, Sano's eyes wide in horror and shock as Battousai easily felled each of Sano's coworkers, using moves that Sano himself had forgotten his 'koshii' had. Then again, this was not the same person...The fight was right in front of Sano's eyes, but it seemed distant somehow. This wasn't the same person...This was the killer from a never-forgotten past, a specter that haunted Kenshin's dreams at night. The one thing between Kenshin and his happiness. 

The Battousai...the one all the people were after, the one people wished their revenge upon. The reason Kenshin hadn't been able to settle down and be happy for a very long time...the reason Kenshin had been hesitant, at first, to truly love anyone--anyone known as the Battousai's beloved would be a weakness, a way to exploit the poor redhead who only wanted peace and quiet. And he had taken the risk, and look where it had gotten him now...

Dimly, he heard the Battousai call out a move--Ryu Sou Sen--that made Sano's ears perk. Kenshin--Kenshin never used that move, except on him...it was a move that was used on those with a particular amount of endurance. Sano briefly wondered who he was using the move on. He looked over at the fight, and was surprised at what he found.

Tsuka was now more beat up than ever, bloody and bruised, nearly broken. He was collapsed on his back, a katana (apparently his) carelessly thrown aside, arms upward in supplication. Battousai stood above him, sword poised for the fatal blow.

"Kenshin, no! Don't you dare kill again!" Sano suddenly shouted, then collapsed again. He was in pain...but it would be worse if his 'koishii' began to kill again... "Resist the urge! I don't matter, I'll be okay! Just don't you dare kill again!"

Violet eyes replaced amber, and Kenshin backed down, hair calming down. He closed his eyes, then shook his head. The smell of blood would haunt him for a very long time...Gingerly, he went to Sano, helping the younger one up. "Let's go home, Sano."

****

Footsteps led from the farm to Sano's little shack, surrounded by an ever-increasing layer of pure-white snow. There were two pairs of footsteps there, one making slightly longer strides, if you looked carefully enough.

One of the footstep makers, now comfortably inside, grinned at the other, who was sitting on a tatami mat. "Thanks for helping me, Kenshin. I don't know what I'd do without you..." His face fell. "Um...thank Battousai for me too," Sano added, not sure what else to say.

"You don't have to thank me, Sano," Kenshin said, smiling gently at his lover. He listened contently as the now-rekindled fire continued to crackle, warming the small space. "I had to do it. It's my duty to you, after all..."

Sano smiled, reveling in the warmth. He would always be grateful...yet...."Two questions, koishii," Sano said, awkwardly. "Who told you? And why would Battousai come out?"

"Katsu told me...we were both very concerned about you de gozaru, after you didn't come home on time. I once promised him I'd take care of you--I merely needed to know in order to do so. He asked me tot tell you to please not blame him. He did what he had to do, after all..." Sano nodded mutely. "As for Battousai..." Kenshin took a deep breath. "He hadn't come out for a while now. He needed out--he gets claustrophobic, constantly being pent-up in his soul room. What's more, he convinced me that I needed him to succeed against your coworkers. And to a certain extent, he was right..."

"Until you nearly killed Tsuka, you mean," Sano pointed out simply.

"Was that his hame? Mmm..." Kenshin mentally noted it, then nodded. "Thank you for saving me there, Sano..." he said, eyes growing a bit more serious. "If I had begun to kill again--I--I don't want to think about what could've happened de gozaru yo," he said softly.

"Kenshin-koishii..." Sano got up from his spot to sit next to Kenshin, then he wrapped his arms around his lover. "It was what I had to do. I love you, y'know."

Kenshin reveled in his lover's warmth, so very glad Sano was around. "Love you more de gozaru," he whispered.

Sano chucked a bit. "Heh..." Then he realized something, and nearly smacked himself upside the head. "I--I'm sorry I couldn't get you a--"

"A present?" Kenshin asked, a happy gleam in his bright violet eyes. "Oh, Sano.... You never had to give me a present de gozaru."

"I wanted to, koishii," Sano replied softly. "I--I always felt that I had to prove to you how much I really love you. The words--the words never feel like enough. I've never been good with 'em anyway."

"Having you love me...always being there for me...saving me from my own insanity..." Kenshin looked into Sano's deep brown eyes. "That's proof enough, Sano. As a matter of fact, it's the best present of all."

"Awww, Kenshin..." Sano blushed slightly. "You've always been the mushier of the two of us, koishii."

Kenshin giggled slightly. "Now, what did you want to get me de gozaru ka?"

"A farm." Ignoring Kenshin's slightly shocked face, Sano went on. "Since you said you liked being on a farm so much...I just wanted to make you happy, you know what I mean, koishii?"

Kenshin sighed happily, marvelling at his lover's eternally amusing thought processes, then smiled. "You do know how difficult that would've been, don't you?"

"I'd do anything for you, koishii," Sano replied simply.

"I'm flattered, but...Oh, I almost forgot!" Kenshin got up, sliding the two books Katsu gave him against each other and finding the picture. He hadn't really looked at it--he'd been busy, after all---though he had an idea of what Katsu had done. Yes, Katsu had taken it further than Kenshin's plan, but from the look of it, it was for the better...

"What is it, koishii?" Sano asked, looking up. 

"Come here and look--it's some artwork from Katsu," Kenshin said, with a smile. "I got it comissioned for you for Christmas de gozaru."

Sano noted mentally how well Katsu and Kenshin had been getting along lately, before dragging himself onto his feet and looking over the redhead's shoulder, first gasping in shock then smiling at what he saw.

Sagara-taichou stood in the center, looking towards his left, smiling. His left hand pushed his bangs up, while the right one held a young Katsu's hand. Katsu was looking past the Sekihoutai captain, smiling at the same thing Sagara seemed to be so happy about. Kenshin was on Sagara's left--well a younger Kenshin anyway. He looked 15, with a higher ponytail, and no scar. His arms rested on the shoulders of an adorable young Sano, and his eyes looked down at the smiling cild, who was looking towards the viewer as if he had no concerns in the world at all. Katsu's stamp-signature was on the top of the page, along with the message:

"We are all watching over you. Merry Christmas from all of us."

Sano smiled. "You and Katsu getting along like this--and this picture, and all that great stuff--that's wonderful." He faced his lover, with one final affirmation. "Having you, koishii, is the best present of all."

****

Ending notes: Nyaah, whaddya think? That took way too long to write; I wrote random scenes as they seemed fit, then pieced them together. I hope that wasn't too obvious. One of the goals of this fic was to remind the masses that people still can recall when Sano was Zanza, and that it haunts his actions nearly as much as being Battousai does to Kenshin. It's much too bad Nobuhiro-sensei seemingly forgot that throughout the series, because the fans did as well; thus, I have fun with it. ^^ This actually ended up having a *lot* more KatsuxSano than I anticipated...heh heh, sorry there. The little "soul room" comment is my dedication to the YGO yamixhikari fandom seeping through, sorry about that.

FEEDBACK IS GOOD! kawaiimae@loveable.com 


End file.
